Shoe insert and method for fitting a shoe

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method are provided for determining whether a foot has outgrown a shoe. In one embodiment, a shoe comprises an insert that has one or more visible symbols thereon and is capable of absorbing perspiration from a foot. In one embodiment, the shoe may be, for example, a child&#39;s shoe. In this embodiment, the shoe is placed on a child&#39;s foot, and is worn by the child, during which time perspiration is produced by the child&#39;s foot and absorbed by the insert. The insert is then removed from the shoe and examined. One or more markings associated with the perspiration are detected, indicating the placement of the foot in the shoe. The position of the markings in relation to the symbols on the insert is examined. If the markings extend beyond a selected symbol, the child has outgrown the shoe.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to footwear generally, and more specifically, tomethods and apparatus used for determining the placement of anindividual's foot within a shoe, and whether the respective shoe fitsproperly on the foot.

2. Background of the Invention

A well-designed child's shoe should facilitate a healthy pattern ofgrowth and development of the child's foot. It is generally considereddesirable for the proper development of a child's foot to allow the footas much freedom of movement as possible. Providing unrestricted freedomof movement to the foot enables the child to walk with a naturalbarefoot motion, which in turn facilitates proper growth anddevelopment. To enable the child to move with a natural barefoot motion,or a close approximation thereof, a shoe must allow the foot and toes tobend in a natural manner while walking. If a child wears a shoe that istoo tight or otherwise restricts his or her foot's movement, the child'sfoot, toes or ankle may sustain injury and/or may fail to grow anddevelop in a healthy manner. In some cases, growth and developmentalproblems may be caused by even a mildly constricting shoe, well beforethe child begins to express discomfort. In addition, very young childrentypically begin to walk before they can talk; consequently, even after ashoe begins to constrict and cause pain to a child's foot, he or she maynot have the ability to communicate the nature of the problem.Accordingly, it is imperative for a parent to have the ability todetermine if a particular shoe fits a child's foot, and equallyimportantly, to determine easily and in a timely manner when the childhas outgrown the shoe.

Unfortunately, it is very common today for children to continue to wearshoes which they have outgrown. One source of this problem is the rapidrate at which children's feet grow. In some cases, a child's foot mayoutgrow a new, properly fitting shoe in less than two months.

A related problem is the lack of opportunity parents have today tomeasure their children's feet and determine whether or not a given childhas outgrown his or her shoes. For example, many households currentlyhave no apparatus designed specifically to measure the size of a child'sfoot. Similarly, most households have no apparatus for determiningwhether or not a child's foot has outgrown a particular shoe. As aresult, many children receive new shoes in a haphazard manner. Forexample, in many families a child may have his or her feet measuredduring occasional visits to a shoe store, where new shoes are fitted andpurchased; however, in between these visits, little or no attention maybe given to the growth of the feet within the shoes, unless and untilthe child expresses severe discomfort. This lack of regular monitoringincreases the risk that the child may suffer injury or growth-relatedproblems in the feet, toes and/or ankles.

There is, therefore, a need for a device and/or a method for easily andaccurately measuring the placement of a child's foot within a shoe, andfor determining whether a child has outgrown the shoe.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To overcome the problems described above, an apparatus and method areprovided for determining the placement of an individual's foot within ashoe, and for determining whether the individual's foot has outgrown theshoe. Accordingly, in one embodiment, a shoe insert is provided that hasone or more visible symbols printed on the top surface thereof. Thesymbols may include, for example, lines showing the desired placement ofa foot and toes on the insert. In one embodiment, the area on the insertsituated between the line representing the ends of the toes and thefront edge of the insert is referred to as the “ouch zone.”

In one embodiment, the insert includes a top layer composedsubstantially of a material capable of absorbing perspiration producedby a foot. For example, the top layer may be composed of unfinishedleather.

In one embodiment, the shoe may be a child's shoe. In this embodiment,the shoe is placed on a child's foot, and is worn by the child, duringwhich time perspiration is produced by the child's foot and is absorbedby the insert. The perspiration causes one or more markings to appear onthe top surface of the insert. The insert is then removed from the shoeand examined. In particular, the one or more markings caused by theperspiration are examined to determine the placement of the child's footwithin the shoe. The position of the markings in relation to the one ormore symbols on the insert is also examined. For example, in oneembodiment, markings made by the child's toes may be examined todetermine whether or not the toes extend into the ouch zone. In thisembodiment, if the markings made by the child's toes extend into theouch zone, the child has outgrown the shoe and the shoe should no longerbe worn by the child.

In another embodiment, an insert is provided having disposed on aselected portion of the surface thereof a substance capable ofabsorbing, and reacting with, perspiration, to produce a visible recordof the actual placement of a wearer's foot. The substance may bedisposed, for example, in a region along the front edge of the insert.In this embodiment, the wearer, e.g., a child, wears a shoe containingthe insert, and perspiration produced by the child's foot is depositedon the surface of the insert. When the substance disposed on the surfaceabsorbs and reacts with the perspiration, a visible indication isproduced that the child has outgrown the shoe. The visible indicationmay be, e.g., a word, or an image such as a circle.

In yet another embodiment, a shoe is provided, comprising an upper andan insert having attributes described above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the invention will beapparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription of selected embodiments, taken together with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a shoe insert, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a shoe containing the insert of FIG. 1, in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows a cross-section of the insert of FIG. 1, in accordance withan embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting a method for utilizing the insert ofFIG. 1 to determine whether or not a child has outgrown a shoe, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a shoe insert, in accordance with another embodimentof the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect of the invention, a shoe insert is provided for use ina child's shoe. In one embodiment, the insert has arranged on its uppersurface one or more symbols representing a desired placement of thewearer's (e.g., the child's) foot in a particular shoe. For example,FIG. 1 shows a shoe insert 100, according to one embodiment. In thisembodiment, the insert 100 has, printed on one side, lines 65representing an outline of a child's foot on the insert 100. Lines 65represent selected parts of a child's foot and indicate the desiredplacement of the foot within the shoe. In this embodiment, the lines 65may include, for example, line 71 approximating the placement of theheel, arch and ball of a child's foot, ovals 73 approximating theplacement of a child's toes, and line 79 representing the ends of thetoes. The region 84 on the insert that lies between the line 79 and thefront edge 86 of the insert 100 is referred to as the “ouch zone.”

It should be noted that the insert 100 does not necessarily correspondto a standard shoe size; instead, in a second aspect of the invention,the insert 100 is manufactured for a particular shoe, is shaped uniquelyto fit into the shoe, and functions as an integral part of the shoe.Referring to FIG. 2, shoe 350 comprises an upper 310, the insert 100,and an outsole 340. In this embodiment, the insert 100 serves as theinsole for the shoe 350. Accordingly, the insert 100 is die-cut to fitthe shoe 350. Referring to a well-known manufacturing process, theinsert 100 conforms to the inside of the shoe 350 and the last bottompapers specifically designed for this purpose. Thus, the shoe 350 andthe insert 100 are worn at all times together, and the insert 100functions properly only with the shoe 350, for which it is designed andmanufactured. It should be noted that the one-to-one relationshipbetween the shoe 350 and the associated insert 100 has distinctbenefits. For example, because the insert 100 is an integral part of theshoe 350 and remains in the shoe 100 on a regular basis, the possibilitythat the insert 100 may be lost, misplaced or damaged is minimized.

FIG. 3 shows a cross-section of the insert 100, in accordance with oneembodiment. The insert 100 comprises three layers 220, 230 and 240. Inthis embodiment, the bottom layer 220 is porous, having holes that serveto force air upwards to cool the foot. In one embodiment, the bottomlayer 220 may be composed of, for example, polyurethane. In thisembodiment, the middle layer 230 may be composed of, for example, anantibacterial material, or polyurethane. Alternatively, the middle layermay be composed of latex. The top layer 240 is composed of a materialthat is capable of absorbing perspiration from the child's foot and, inresponse, producing a visible record of the actual placement of thechild's foot and toes within the shoe. In one embodiment, the top layer240 may be composed of, for example, unfinished leather. In analternative embodiment, the top layer 240 may be composed of asynthetic, poromeric material.

For much of a child's early years, the child's foot is in a nearlycontinuous state of growth and development. This growth is associatedwith a high level of muscular and other activity by and within thechild's foot. As a result of this activity, a typical child's footproduces a substantial amount of perspiration. In many cases, a child'sfoot will produce a significant amount of perspiration within a fewhours.

The inventor realized that the tendency for a child's foot to producesubstantial quantities of perspiration may be used beneficially todetermine whether or not the child has outgrown a particular shoe.Accordingly, in a third aspect of the invention, the top surface of theinsert 100 absorbs perspiration from a child's foot and, in response,produces a visible record, or marking, of the actual placement of thechild's foot in the shoe. In one embodiment, a child may wear a shoe,e.g., shoe 350, containing the insert 100, for a period of time, andduring this time his or her foot produces a quantity of perspirationwhich is absorbed by the top layer 240 of the insert 100. In thisembodiment, the perspiration absorbed by the insert 100 causes one ormore markings to appear on the top layer 240 of the insert 100. Forexample, in an embodiment in which the top layer 240 is composed ofunfinished leather, certain regions of the unfinished leather may absorba substantial amount of perspiration and, in response, appear visiblydarker than other areas that absorb little or no perspiration. In thisembodiment, the darkened areas tend to appear more prominently inregions where the child's toes or the bottom of the child's foot are infrequent contact with the surface of the insert 100. In this embodiment,the insert 100 may be removed from the shoe 350, and the darkened areasmay be examined to determine the actual placement of the child's footwithin the shoe 350.

In another embodiment, the markings on the insert 100 that are caused bythe perspiration from the child's foot are further examined to determinewhether or not the child has outgrown the shoe. FIG. 4 is a flowchartdepicting a method for utilizing the insert 100 to determine whether ornot a child has outgrown a particular shoe, in accordance with oneembodiment. At step 420, a shoe, e.g., the shoe 350, containing theinsert 100, is placed on the child's foot. At step 430, the child isallowed to wear the shoe 350 for a sufficient period of time to allow aquantity of perspiration to be generated by the child's foot andabsorbed by the top layer 240 of the insert 100. Accordingly, the toplayer 240 absorbs the perspiration from the child's foot and, inresponse, markings appear on the top layer 240 of the insert 100. Thisprocess may occur relatively quickly. For example, in an embodiment inwhich the top layer 240 is composed substantially of unfinished leather,after the child begins to wear the shoe 350 containing the insert 100,markings may begin to appear on the surface of the insert 100 afterapproximately two hours.

At step 440, the shoe 350 is removed from the child's foot, and at step450, the insert 100 is removed from the shoe 350. At step 460, themarkings produced by the perspiration are examined to determine whetheror not the shoe 350 fits the child's foot. In particular, referring tothe embodiment of FIG. 1, the markings produced in the region of thechild's toes may be examined to determine whether or not the child'stoes have grown into the ouch zone 84. If the child's toes extend intothis region, the child's toes (and possibly other parts of the child'sfoot) are most likely constricted by the shoe 350. Accordingly,referring to block 470, if the markings produced in the toe region ofthe insert 100 extend beyond the line 79 into the ouch zone 84, thechild has outgrown the shoe 350, and thus the shoe 350 is too small forthe child's foot and should not be worn (step 474). If the markingsproduced in the toe region do not extend beyond the line 79 into theouch zone 84, the child has not yet outgrown the shoe 350 (step 476). Inthis case, the insert may be reinserted into the shoe.

It should be noted that the markings caused by perspiration remain onthe insert 100 and expand on the surface of the insert 100 as thechild's foot grows. The next time a measurement of the foot is desired,the insert 100 may be removed from the shoe and examined immediately.Thus, the insert 100 constitutes a readily available measure of whetheror not the child has outgrown the shoe 350.

In yet another embodiment, an insert is provided having disposed on itsupper surface a chemical or other substance capable of absorbing, andreacting with, the perspiration produced by a child's foot. In oneembodiment, the substance reacts with the perspiration to produce on thesurface of the insert a record of the placement of the child's foot inthe shoe, e.g., an indication when the child has outgrown the shoe. Forexample, in one embodiment, a region may be defined at the front edge ofthe insert which is deemed unsafe for the child's toes (i.e., it islikely that any toes extending into this region will be constricted bythe shoe). This region may be referred to as the “danger zone.” Asubstance that is transparent initially, but produces a visibleindication upon absorbing the person's perspiration, is disposed on theportion of the insert that lies within the danger zone. In thisembodiment, the insert may have an upper surface which initially has agenerally uniform appearance (i.e., with no visible indications, lines,etc.). As long as the child's toes do not extend into the danger zone,little or no perspiration is absorbed by the substance and the surfaceof the insert retains its uniform appearance. When the child's toes growinto the danger zone, the toes deposit perspiration onto the substance.The substance reacts with the perspiration and produces a visibleindicator that the child has outgrown the shoe.

In one embodiment, a substance that changes color in response toperspiration is utilized. For example, a substance that is initiallytransparent, but changes color in response to perspiration, may bedisposed across all or substantially all of the danger zone.Accordingly, when the child's toes begin to grow into the danger zone,the portion of the insert that lies in the danger zone begins to changecolor. In an alternative embodiment, the substance may be disposed onthe surface in the form of an image, e.g., a word, a circle, a series ofdots, etc.

By way of example, the insert 115 shown in FIG. 5 has disposed on itssurface a substance that forms the word “ouch.” In this embodiment, thesubstance initially is transparent or has the same color and appearanceas the remainder of the upper surface of the insert 115. The insert isplaced into a child's shoe and worn by the child. The child's footproduces perspiration as discussed above during the time he or she wearsthe shoe; however, as long as the child's foot fits as intended in theshoe, the child's toes do not extend into the danger zone and little orno perspiration is deposited on the substance. As a result, as long asthe child's foot fits as intended in the shoe, the substance remainsunseen and the word “ouch” is not visible. As the child's foot grows,his or her toes gradually extend into the danger zone and begin todeposit perspiration on the substance. The substance absorbs theperspiration and changes color in response. As a result, the word “ouch”becomes visible on the surface of the insert. In one embodiment, theword “ouch” may appear little by little, as the child's toes graduallyextend farther and farther into the danger zone.

The inserts and methods described herein allows a parent, e.g., amother, to ensure that her child at all times wears properly fittingshoes. For example, she may utilize one or more of these inserts and/ormethods to readily detect if her child has outgrown a shoe, and if so,replace the shoe with a larger, properly fitting shoe. The inserts andmethods described herein have an additional benefit in that the mothermay perform such measurements regularly, easily, and at her ownconvenience. In particular, she may do so at home, without the need tovisit a shoe store. In this way, the mother may facilitate the propergrowth and development of the child's foot.

The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the invention. Itwill thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able todevise numerous other arrangements which embody the principles of theinvention and are thus within its spirit and scope. For example, theinserts and methods described herein may also have advantages and usesfor teenagers and adults.

1. An insert for use in a wearer's shoe, comprising: a surface uponwhich a wearer's foot is placed; at least one visible symbol situated onthe surface representing a desired placement of the wearer's foot; and amaterial that forms at least a portion of the surface, wherein thematerial is capable of producing a visible record of an actual placementof the wearer's foot.
 2. The insert of claim 1, wherein the visiblerecord includes one or more markings associated with perspirationabsorbed by the material.
 3. The insert of claim 1, wherein the materialis unfinished leather.
 4. The insert of claim 1, wherein the material isa synthetic, poromeric material.
 5. The insert of claim 1, wherein thevisible record includes a change of a portion of the surface from afirst color to a second color.
 6. The insert of claim 1, wherein thevisible record includes an appearance on the surface of an image.
 7. Theinsert of claim 1, wherein the at least one visible symbol includes aform representing a desired placement of a toe.
 8. An insert for use ina wearer's shoe, comprising: a layer having a surface upon which awearer's foot is placed, the layer being composed at least substantiallyof a material capable of absorbing perspiration and producing, inresponse to the perspiration, a visible record of an actual placement ofthe wearer's foot; and at least one visible symbol situated on thesurface representing a desired placement of the wearer's foot.
 9. Theinsert of claim 8, wherein the visible record includes one or moremarkings associated with perspiration absorbed by the material.
 10. Theinsert of claim 8, wherein the material is unfinished leather.
 11. Theinsert of claim 8, wherein the material is a synthetic, poromericmaterial.
 12. The insert of claim 8, wherein the visible record includesa change of a portion of the surface from a first color to a secondcolor.
 13. The insert of claim 8, wherein the visible record includes anappearance on the surface of an image.
 14. The insert of claim 8,wherein the at least one visible symbol includes a form representing adesired placement of a toe.
 15. The insert of claim 8, furthercomprising: a second layer composed at least substantially of a secondmaterial for providing stiffness to the insert; and a third layercomposed at least substantially of a third material for providing aircirculation to the foot.
 16. An insert for use in a wearer's shoe,comprising: a surface upon which a wearer's foot is placed; and amaterial that forms at least a portion of the surface, wherein thematerial is capable of producing a visible record of an actual placementof the wearer's foot.
 17. The insert of claim 16, wherein the visiblerecord includes one or more markings associated with perspirationabsorbed by the material.
 18. The insert of claim 16, wherein thevisible record includes a change of a portion of the surface from afirst color to a second color.
 19. The insert of claim 16, wherein thevisible record includes an appearance on the surface of an image.
 20. Ashoe comprising: an upper; and an insert, comprising: a surface uponwhich a wearer's foot is placed; at least one visible symbol situated onthe surface representing a desired placement of the wearer's foot; and amaterial that forms at least a portion of the surface, wherein thematerial is capable of producing a visible record of an actual placementof the wearer's foot.
 21. The shoe of claim 20, wherein the visiblerecord includes one or more markings associated with perspirationabsorbed by the material.
 22. The shoe of claim 20, wherein the materialis unfinished leather.
 23. The shoe of claim 20, wherein the material isa synthetic, poromeric material.
 24. The shoe of claim 20, wherein thevisible record includes a change of a portion of the surface from afirst color to a second color.
 25. The shoe of claim 20, wherein thevisible record includes an appearance on the surface of an image. 26.The shoe of claim 20, wherein the at least one visible symbol includes aform representing a desired placement of a toe.
 27. The shoe of claim20, wherein the shoe is a child's shoe.
 28. A method for determining afit of a shoe on a wearer's foot, the shoe comprising an insert havingon a surface thereof one or more visible symbols representing a desiredplacement of the wearer's foot, the insert being composed at least inpart of a material capable of producing a visible record of an actualplacement of the wearer's foot, the method comprising: detecting on theinsert the visible record; determining a relationship between thevisible record and at least one of the one or more symbols; anddetermining, based on the relationship, the fit of the shoe.
 29. Themethod of claim 28, wherein the visible record includes one or moremarkings associated with perspiration absorbed by the material.
 30. Themethod of claim 28, wherein the material is unfinished leather.
 31. Themethod of claim 28, wherein the material is a synthetic, poromericmaterial.
 32. The method of claim 28, wherein the visible recordincludes a change of a portion of the surface from a first color to asecond color.
 33. The method of claim 28, wherein the visible recordincludes an appearance on the surface of an image.
 34. The method ofclaim 28, wherein the at least one visible symbol includes a formrepresenting a desired placement of a toe.
 35. The method of claim 28,wherein the shoe is a child's shoe.